Today marks the death of Roy Orbison (1988), whose career spanned four decades. In 1963, he headlined a European tour with The Beatles. Orbison is best remembered for his ballads of lost love, and in the music community is revered for his song writing ability. His single, "Oh, Pretty Woman", sold more copies in its first ten days of release than any single up to that time, and eventually sold over seven million copies.

Three songs written and recorded by Orbison, "Only The Lonely", "Oh, Pretty Woman" and "Crying" are in the Grammy Hall of Fame. In 1989, Orbison was inducted posthumously into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. In 1998, Orbison was honored with the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

Orbison's album, Mystery Girl, and the single, "You Got It," were posthumous hits, and are generally regarded as Orbison's best work since the 1960s. At the time of his death, he was the first person since Elvis Presley to have two albums in the top 5 (Mystery Girl and Traveling Wilburys).

Let us remember him for who he was and who he influenced throughout the music industry!

I loved Roy's work and his laid back personality. I really loved what he did with The Traveling Wilburys. The empty rocking chair as he sang the chorus in the video of End Of The Line still makes me verklempt.

I just love early Rock & Roll and Roy Orbison is one of the reasons why. What a voice and talent. I so got a kick out of him joining up with the Wilbury's in his later career years. Thanks for the music, Roy!

____________________"Come on down to the Mermaid Cafe and I will buy you a bottle of wine, and we'll laugh and toast to nothing and smash our empty glasses down..."

I'm VERY happy I got to see Roy twice.One of my top 10 favorites.
I bought Mystery Girl when it came out. I Like the cd AND the title song on that a lot.

____________________Well 30 years of heart and soul,lord we took it further than rock and roll.
We stood together thru thick and thin,yeah we made the best of it all back then.
Then I guess time took it's toll,cut me deep,cut me cold.
Brother against brother....

I really took notice of Roy Orbison when he played the first Farm-Aid(I think it was at the first concert,in'85). Anyway,I was watching it on tv,and the crowd just loved his performance. So did I! It was a little bit of an epiphany for me.

I always remembered something Bruce Springsteen said when he inducted Roy Orbison into the RRHOF: to listen to Roy Orbison sing is to know what it means to be 'unafraid of love'.

'...Roy Orbison singing for the lonely,hey, that's me and I want you only...'

____________________"The Beatles are a gas." George Harrison (from a 1974 British radio interview)

Hillbilly opera was a term that I think Bonnie Rait used to describe Roy's music. I can't imagine putting it any better. Ray was an American original at a time when that meant something real and positive. I still love bringing out the Black & White Night DVD and watching him perform. I can never watch it with getting a lump in my throat in a tear in my eye.

____________________Obamacare: To insure the uninsured, we first make the insured
uninsured and then make them pay more to be insured again,
so the original uninsured can be insured for free.

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